Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

 Lectionary 458

I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.

Can any citizen of a prosperous, secure nation pray to the Lord, "...have pity on me, and answer me?" Wouldn't their apparent humility sound pretentious? What threats do they face which is anything like the threats against persecuted Jews or Christians? 

Could a teenaged woman who experienced the loss of her mother but never knew poverty or serious illness, who enjoyed the support of her father, and kindness of her sisters and fellow Catholics summon the desperation of the psalmist? Wasn't the child allowed admission to the convent prematurely, when she presumed to ask the Pope to exempt her from the ordinary rule? She got what she wanted like many children who demand what they want from doting adults. 

But the Spirit of God was alive in Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, and she allowed the Spirit to speak through her as she entered the convent. She brought nothing with her and, upon arriving, was allowed ownership of her habit and a pencil box. (Not much fits in a pencil box.)  

She experienced the pathos of this Psalm by entering enthusiastically into the sacrificial life of her community. They owned little and claimed less. Her prayer seemed to come not from her ideosyncratic experience but from the life, Spirit, and ethos of the Church Universal. That is, the worshipping congregation of heaven and earth, past, present, and future; which joins with the heavenly choirs to sing God's praises. 

Heaven's worship of God expresses both the joy of our salvation and the sad desperation of human life in all its forms. It does not forget the violence that persists in every age, society, and nation, although most nations try to contain it within prisons, jails, and deteriorated neighborhoods. 

Thérèse's sisters recreated a life of poverty and barren simplicity within the confines of their monastic walls. They maintained it by strict obedience to the "mother" who enforced it. And they looked for ways to make further sacrifices when the world was already aghast at the sacrifices they'd made. Not even the most solemn feast days could overwhelm that discipline. There was little indulgence in their way of life, but they thanked God for the rare moments when He permitted a little more food and a little more fun. 

There are two kinds of sacrifice: the ones we choose and the ones forced upon us. We prepare for the latter by practicing the former. Failure to practice and prepare for hardship leaves us naked and vulnerable before the onslaught of life. For no one escapes the occasional castastrophe. God can bestow them on us at any time or place, and without explanation or warning. 

Saint Thérèse contracted tuberculosis and died a very young woman. She has been revered since the early twentieth century for she prayed with the Spirit of God, 

Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;

have pity on me, and answer me.

Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.